It is well known in the prior art to provide an air bag module which is mounted forward of a vehicle passenger beneath an instrument panel cover having an opening therein through which the air bag deploys. The module typically includes an air bag and an inflator for generating gas to deploy the air bag upon the sensing of certain predetermined vehicle conditions. The instrument panel opening is typically closed by a cover door which is attached to either the instrument panel cover or the housing of the air bag module. Typically, when the cover door is attached to the housing, much of the weight of the air bag module, including the housing, air bag, and inflator, must be supported by the cover door, especially during installation to the vehicle. Thus, the cover door must be a fairly rigid structural member which does not deform under the weight of the underlying module for an aesthetically pleasing appearance on the instrument panel cover. Furthermore in this arrangement, proper alignment of the cover door within the instrument panel opening is sensitive to the tolerances of the instrument panel cover and the underlying module support structure.
It is also known in the prior art to include an air bag retainer which attaches the air bag to the housing in some manner. Typically, the air bag is attached to both the air bag retainer and housing by a plurality of fasteners. It is also known in the prior art for the air bag retainer to be provided by rods attached to the mouth of the air bag. However, elongated channels must be provided in the housing for receiving the rods therein. These elongated channels are difficult to manufacture, especially in stamped or molded housings. Furthermore, the air bag material wrapped around the length of the rod makes axial insertion of the rods into the elongated channels difficult for assembly since the air bag material tends to bunch up on the rods.